Rev. Mike Girlinghouse to Serve as Acting Bishop During Sabbatical

As Bishop Deborah Hutterer prepares for her sabbatical this fall, the Grand Canyon Synod is grateful for the leadership of Rev. Mike Girlinghouse, who will serve as Acting Bishop during her time away. Pastor Mike will meet weekly with the Office of the Bishop staff, ensuring that our regular rhythms of leadership, ministry, and care continue without interruption.

Pastor Mike brings deep experience to this role. He served as bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod from 2011 to 2023 and previously spent twenty years in campus ministry at Wayne State College (NE), the University of South Dakota, and the University of Oklahoma. Today, he serves as Chaplain at LCM Canterbury in Flagstaff—the shared campus ministry of the ELCA and the Episcopal Church at Northern Arizona University—where students and young adults lead alongside him in ministry and mission.

Beyond his leadership in the church, Pastor Mike enjoys cooking, reading, watching science fiction, and photography. He is also a musician who plays the trombone and the djembe drum. He and his wife, Terrie, have been married for forty years and share life with their two pups.

As Acting Bishop, Pastor Mike’s presence ensures both continuity and care. His pastoral wisdom and long history of service to the wider church reflect the same spirit of stability that guides our synod forward during Bishop Hutterer’s sabbatical. We give thanks for his partnership and invite you to hold him in prayer as he supports the work of our synod in this season of renewal.